The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
Many types of modern transmissions include associated electronic controllers. Typically, due to the number of electrical connections between circuitry within the controller and solenoids, motors and other devices within the transmission, they are desirably located as near as possible to the transmission. Because of service considerations, however, they are generally not located within the transmission but on the outside of the transmission housing and utilize an electrical connector or feedthrough to connect the controller to the components within the transmission.
While external mounting of the controller on the transmission satisfies service issues, it does create a compromise regarding cooling of the controller. If the controller were mounted within the transmission, the transmission cooling circuit could be relied upon to carry away heat from the controller and maintain it at a proper and safe operating temperature. Located on the outside of a transmission, cooling of the controller and maintenance of a proper and safe operating temperature must typically be achieved by airflow over heat sink fins or by conduction of heat to a relatively large heat sink such as a fender or other body panel. Using body panels as heat sinks once again raises the less than desirable situation of placing the electronic controller at some distance from the transmission.
From the foregoing, it is apparent that the placement of an electronic controller to satisfy the competing requirements of proximity to the transmission and thus minimum wiring and weight while also providing for the necessary heat dissipation is an engineering challenge. The present invention is directed to solving this engineering challenge and satisfying these competing design goals.